Materials

To guarantee the best income, improving the quality of used materials such as glass, paper, plastics and metals is the aim of every material reprocessor. Keep abreast with the latest on materials and waste management here.

Fire protection should, first and foremost, prevent fires and fight them. Detecting fire hazards early enough to avoid a fire breaking out is even better. The more so if it can quickly be extinguished before all is lost. Dr Jörg Lantzsch looks at how infrared technology helped a producer of refuse derived fuel.

The UK should create a more robust system to support the recycling of steel packaging in what is a very challenging time for the industry, says Alexander Mohr, secretary general, Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL).

The aims of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 have been welcomed by trade bodies, legitimate scrap metal dealers, the police and the Home Office, however, how is its implementation going? Nicola Guest, marketing manager at Alchemy Metals & Carbide Recycling, reports from the coal face of the industry.

The ambitious targets for recycling of plastic packaging set by the government are still the hottest topic in town. Philip Law, public and industrial affairs director at the British Plastics Federation, reports on that and other issues of concern to the British Plastics Federation.

Closed loop recycling and the circular economy are buzzwords in today’s waste management sector, however, what about the way minerals have been continuously recycled over the centuries? Dr Tim Johnson, technical director, Tetronics looks at the role thermal treatment plays in helping to recycle essential minerals.

Launched in June this year, the Pig Idea campaign is gathering pace, but is it a sustainable answer to managing food waste? David Burrows seeks the opinion of waste and food sector experts as to whether pigs should help the UK deal with the six million tonnes food waste it is expected to be landfilling by 2025.

Two topics currently receiving the attention of the Motor Vehicle Dismantlers’ Association are the ABI code of practice on the disposal of motor salvage and the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. Chas Ambrose, chairman, Motor Vehicle Dismantlers' Association, reports.

With the largest waste management contract in Europe, the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority has opted for in-vessel composting to ‘Revive’ the food and garden waste in Greater Manchester. Rebecca Sutcliffe, communications and communities officer with Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, explains why the GMWDA opted to go down the IVC route.

In 2011/12, London’s municipal waste activities ‘saved’ more carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions than they emitted, according to a Eunomia report published earlier this month by the mayor of London.

Up until last year, councils were allowed to send street leaf sweepings for composting. However, this all changed following a small trial that found high levels of contaminants, and the interim results for a larger trial suggest the Environment Agency won’t change its mind any time soon. By David Burrows.